Mint Julep With Rum Float

For the perfect mint julep cocktail, smash your ice—but not your mint—then dress it up with a float of good dark rum. The rum is a nod to colonial days, when juleps were often rum-based, and with its barrel-aged character and slight sweetness, a great match for bourbon.

Ingredients

2 oz. bourbon

1⁄2 oz. añejo rum, such as Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

1⁄2 oz. simple syrup

10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish

Instructions

In the bottom of a julep cup or cocktail glass, place mint and 1⁄4 oz simple syrup. Gently press down on mint leaves with a muddler, making sure not to mash the leaves into pulp. Add the remaining 1⁄4 oz simple syrup and bourbon. Fill the cup completely with ice, forming a mound on top. Pour the rum over the top of the ice. Garnish with a large mint bouquet and a straw next to the mint.